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fix: add input validation to cyclic_sort to prevent infinite loop#14946

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mithunbabbira wants to merge 1 commit into
TheAlgorithms:masterfrom
mithunbabbira:fix-14898
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fix: add input validation to cyclic_sort to prevent infinite loop#14946
mithunbabbira wants to merge 1 commit into
TheAlgorithms:masterfrom
mithunbabbira:fix-14898

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Describe your change:

  • Add an algorithm?
  • Fix a bug or typo in an existing algorithm?
  • Add or change doctests? -- Note: Please avoid changing both code and tests in a single pull request.
  • Documentation change?

Checklist:

  • I have read CONTRIBUTING.md.
  • This pull request is all my own work -- I have not plagiarized.
  • I know that pull requests will not be merged if they fail the automated tests.
  • This PR only changes one algorithm file. To ease review, please open separate PRs for separate algorithms.
  • All new Python files are placed inside an existing directory.
  • All filenames are in all lowercase characters with no spaces or dashes.
  • All functions and variable names follow Python naming conventions.
  • All function parameters and return values are annotated with Python type hints.
  • All functions have doctests that pass the automated testing.
  • All new algorithms include at least one URL that points to Wikipedia or another similar explanation.
  • If this pull request resolves one or more open issues then the description above includes the issue number(s) with a closing keyword: "Fixes #ISSUE-NUMBER".

Fixes #14898

cyclic_sort had no input validation. Inputs with duplicates caused an infinite loop, and out-of-range values silently produced wrong output.

Added validation matching the issue's expected behavior:

  • Duplicates → ValueError: All numbers must be unique, got [...]
  • Out-of-range → ValueError: All numbers must be in range 1 to n, got x

Regression doctests added for both cases.

Verified: python3 -m doctest sorts/cyclic_sort.py -v — all 4 doctests pass. ruff check passes.

@algorithms-keeper algorithms-keeper Bot added enhancement This PR modified some existing files awaiting reviews This PR is ready to be reviewed labels Jul 19, 2026
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cyclic_sort.py has no input validation, causes infinite loop on invalid input

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